Rabbits in Research and Testing | Animal Welfare Hub

Rabbits are widely used in biomedical research and product safety testing, including the Draize eye test and pyrogen testing, raising significant welfare concerns about pain and distress.

Key Facts

Rabbits are the third most commonly used laboratory animal in Europe after mice and rats
The Draize eye irritation test involves applying substances to restrained rabbit eyes
Pyrogen testing historically required injecting rabbits with test substances to detect fever responses
Alternative methods including cell-based assays have largely replaced rabbit pyrogen testing in Europe
Rabbits are highly sensitive to stress and handling — restraint alone causes significant physiological responses
The 3Rs framework has led to significant reductions in rabbit use in some jurisdictions

Welfare Considerations

Rabbits used in research face welfare challenges compounded by their physiology: as prey animals, they are acutely sensitive to restraint, noise, and unfamiliar handling. Stress responses in rabbits are rapid and pronounced, and chronic laboratory housing in barren individual cages causes stereotypic behavior and social deprivation. The Draize eye test, though reduced in frequency by alternatives, remains in use. Meaningful welfare improvement requires continued replacement of rabbit-based tests with validated non-animal alternatives, social housing standards, and positive reinforcement handling protocols across all facilities using rabbits.

What You Can Do

Support funding for development and validation of non-animal test methods
Advocate for mandatory phase-out timelines for tests where validated alternatives exist
Encourage companies to commit to cruelty-free testing policies
Support regulatory acceptance of non-animal alternative methods across jurisdictions
Contact cosmetics companies to ask about their animal testing policies